


On a Might've Been

by Beckon



Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games)
Genre: Aftermath, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Despair, Established Relationship, F/F, Happy Ending, Kissing, Koliseum, MK11 - Freeform, Outworld, Reunion, dark themes, imprisoned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:01:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27981189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beckon/pseuds/Beckon
Summary: Sonya let her thoughts drift for a moment and she wondered if Kitana was wondering where she was at.They should've been on the ships together.It should've been a brief, but well-welcomed reunion- even if it was in the middle of a blood sea.
Relationships: Sonya Blade/Kitana
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	On a Might've Been

Sonya found herself pacing around the stone cell despite her better judgment.

Despite the pain in her shoulder and the throbbing in her ribs.

Fighting a Shokan was one thing, which was not something she ever expected herself to have to do.

But fighting Shao Kahn himself was another.

Not that she had had a choice in that matter either.

But if she had, she certainly would've picked a better place and time to do so.

Then again, it wasn't like she was expecting them to be ambushed.

They had been sitting on the beach, loading up the ship Raiden had delivered to them from Kharon. There was no telling what they were going to face once they crossed the Sea of Blood, but considering this was a fight for their lives, and future, they just took everything they had with them.

Most of their supplies had been on-board and they were just waiting on Sheeva and Queen Sindel to arrive, to join them on the voyage.

And they sure as shit got one of them.

And now Sonya found herself here.

Instead of fighting in the final push against Kronika, she was stuck in Outworld.

She was stuck in a holding cell under the Koliseum.

Which was apparently exactly where Shao Kahn wanted her to be; she was a perfect fit for his dog-fighting arena.

From Special Forces Lieutenant to a fucking fight mule.

Sonya tried to shake the thoughts from her head.

It wasn't over yet.

There was still everyone else out there.

There was still Raiden and Fujin, who would have their end of the situation under control. She had little to no idea of what was going to await them at this Kronika person's lair, but those two seem to have some idea of what lied ahead of them in this fight.

And there was still Jax and Jacqui, as well as Liu Kang and Kung Lao.

One of them had to have noticed their absence by now; one of them had to have known that the Special Forces ship didn't arrive when it should have.

Or that it didn't arrive with the people it should have.

They were supposed to meet up with the Outworld ship and join their voyage.

They were supposed to drop Sheeva and Queen Sindel off with them, to allow the two to fight alongside Kitana and her men.

There was a hollow throb that resonated in her chest as Sonya thought about the newfound Khan.

If Shao Kahn had stolen their ship and used it to meet up with Kitana and her forces, there was no way the woman would know what was coming for them. They would be caught off-guard, caught in the middle of a naval battle- caught in a fight that should've been waiting for them at Kronika's keep, not in the middle of the Sea of Blood.

The last Kitana had seen of Shao Kahn was with his defeat at the Koliseum.

She would have no idea that the former Emperor was back- and that her own mother was at his side.

"Can you not pace? You're making me nervous."

Sonya stopped mid-step in her pacing and rotated at the voice that had come from behind her.

She had forgotten completely that she wasn't alone down here.

That it wasn't just her who had been beaten and dragged from the beach and tossed into Outworld.

Cassie and Cage were here too.

Cassie was locked up in the cell next to her, while Cage was two cells down on the other side.

The two had been uncharacteristically quiet this entire time.

"I pace when I'm thinking," Sonya remarked, hoping that the sense of disconnect would cover her mild surprise at being interrupted.

"Oh believe me, I know," Cassie replied, chuckling softly from where she was seated in her own cell.

Right.

She kept forgetting about the whole future thing as well.

Sonya couldn't shake the feeling that maybe her future half wouldn't have found herself in this situation.

That maybe the future her would've been able to do something, anything better than what little resistance she had managed.

Although, to her credit, taking out a Shokan and then going one-to-one with Shao Kahn was nothing to sneeze at either.

Not that she had put up much of a fight.

Or that it had gotten her far.

"You think this is it?" Cassie questioned.

And Sonya was surprised at how nonchalant the question came out.

It almost sounded like the woman had just sort of given in and already accepted the situation, but Sonya didn't think that was the right call on the woman's tone either. It might've just been shock, or nerves that were making the woman talk almost casually about their predicament.

It was important to stay calm, but they still needed to remain proactive with it.

"Can't be," Sonya replied, hoping to pull the woman back to focus. "Shao Kahn was defeated before, wasn't he? There's nothing to say he can't be defeated again."

"Yeah, but the Elder Gods had to take him out," Cassie corrected, "- and they're dead now."

_Fuck._

She didn't know about that part.

Sonya paced another circle around her cell and tugged at her jacket, which felt too heavy on her shoulders now.

Here she was pacing, almost unable to adhere to her own advice of staying calm.

"You seem pretty at ease with this whole thing," Sonya remarked.

Cassie give a quiet chuckle before she got to her feet and walked over to the cell wall that separated them. "Would you believe me if I told you that this is actually the second time I've been imprisoned by an Outworld Kahn?" she asked, as she slipped her arms through the open bars of the wall and leaned against it.

"I would find it hard to believe," Sonya offered.

"Well, unfortunately, we don't have Takeda here to save our asses this time," Cassie sighed, closing her eyes for a moment before she opened them again. "With luck, someone on the outside will know we didn't make it to the beach. Jacqui's probably hitting up my phone right now- and I'm not answering, which is a big sign that something's wrong."

Someone had to know by now.

It was just a matter of if anyone could do anything about it.

Sonya let her thoughts drift for a moment and wondered if Kitana was wondering where she was at.

They should've been on the ships together.

It should've been a brief, but well-welcomed reunion- even if it was in the middle of a blood sea.

"Someone has to know by now," Sonya spoke. "We may have to wait a little longer, but someone will figure out where we are. And if not then... I'll figure something out. I'm not just going to lie down and be some kind of mule for that sick fuck's entertainment."

"You're telling me," Cassie scoffed. "Shao Kahn said he wanted me to join his harem of concubines."

Sonya felt herself almost physically gag at the remark.

Not just off the implication, but also off the idea of Shao Kahn having concubines in the first place.

He seemed pretty thrilled about having Sindel at his side, but maybe things still weren't going well for him in paradise.

"That is not happening," Sonya scoffed in return.

"Oh believe me, I'm not exactly rolling over and accepting it either," Cassie replied. "Between the two of us, we're smart- we can figure something out. If we have to punch our way out of here, we'll find out how to make it possible."

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Sonya asked, briefly nodding her head towards the only other occupied cell.

"Like I said, between the two of us."

Sonya chuckled at the break in conversation that she needed.

It was still hard to grasp that the woman in front of her was technically her daughter.

She didn't like to think of what circumstances had brought a child upon her, but whatever had been done was done. Not to mention, given the future that she was in, it was literally out of her hands.

Sonya wasn't stupid though.

Shao Kahn had taken the three of them as prisoners not just because they were prisoners of war, but because they were collateral against one another. He knew the three of them were connected, whether Sonya liked it or not. Which meant that they were both support for one another- and ammo.

If someone put a gun to Cage's head, Cassie would do whatever she had to to have the gun put back down.

And the woman would do the same for her.

And Sonya would do the same in return, but more out of moral obligation than familial.

Which would still work, but at the end of the day, it would only get her so far.

Which is exactly where her weakness lied.

Despite what everyone was telling her, she still couldn't see Cassie as anything other than a solider. Sure, they were mother and daughter, and there was no denying the resemblance between them- but she wasn't Cassie's mother; she wasn't the Sonya who was here and made that decision to have a child.

There was no connection them.

And that lack of connection was going to get one of them killed when push came to shove.

But maybe that would technically work out for the better.

When she had killed Kano's past self, it had killed his future self as well. Following that same flow of logic, if she somehow got killed in the koliseum, then Cassie would technically disappear as well. It would be two birds with one stone.

It was something to consider if worst came to worst- not that Sonya would allow herself to dwell on it.

Not now, not while there was still a good chance for them to get out of this.

Christ, she wanted to kick herself for turning morbid so quickly.

How the hell was she going to stay strong for two people if she was already planning an out?

"There's still plenty of good people out there fighting," Sonya spoke, maybe more for herself than anyone else at this point. "We still have a chance in this. We're on the boring end of it, but we just need to hold out for a little longer."

"You're optimistic, that's new," Cassie remarked. "It's a nice change."

"I try to be optimistic when I can."

And _God,_ was she trying right now.

But she couldn't let herself succumb to desperation.

She couldn't let this situation beat her.

Not like this.

The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs drew a cold chill down her spine as Sonya turned towards the noise, as she listened to how quickly the footsteps were drawing closer to them. She stepped away from the cell door and gestured for Cassie to do the same, while also signaling for the woman to be quiet.

Unless the fight had gone to absolute Hell, this couldn't be Shao Kahn already returning.

The footsteps weren't heavy like his, but that didn't mean anything- not yet at least.

They very well could be Sindel's.

It only sounded like one set though, so it couldn't be other people being brought down here as captives.

And it sounded like the footsteps were moving too quickly for it to be someone carrying someone else. Although she could still be wrong on that one; Jax could easily carry her around without breaking stride.

Those bouncing fears were only amplified when Sonya watched as a lone Tarkatan stepped into view.

When she heard the sound of heavy sniffing and caught the subtle flare of his nostrils as the creature tilted his head upwards; a classic example of tracking by scent, of hunting by scent.

Great.

Even if it was just one Tarkatan, that didn't mean that others weren't still around either.

So now there was the possibility of them getting eaten alive instead.

Which, realistically, might be the better option here.

The Tarkatan lowered his head and began to look through the cells as he lumbered down the middle of them, peeking into each one on either sides of him.

He looked to be in full hunting mode now.

And given the lack of wall space or furniture in the cells, there was no place for them to hide from his line of sight.

It didn't take long before the Tarkatan arrived directly in front of her cell, and against her better judgment, Sonya locked eyes with him. She heard him sniff once more, a heavy, disgusting sort of noise, before he let out a hearty snort afterwards.

" _Kotko Kitana!_ "

Sonya didn't understand the first part of what he said, but she knew the second.

"Kitana?" she repeated, as she stepped forward at the name, only to step back once she heard another set of footsteps coming down the corridor.

And these ones were running, hard and heavy against the concrete underfoot, almost clicking between every other step.

Sonya watched as the Tarkatan stepped away from her cell door.

And she watched as Kitana stepped into view now.

The woman looked like complete Hell.

Beaten and bloodied, but she was walking tall- or about as tall as she could muster.

The Outworld Kahn certainly looked better than she did.

"Sonya! Oh, thank the Gods-" Kitana spoke, as she grabbed at the cell bars before she reached an arm between them.

And Sonya didn't hesitate to move forward and greet the woman, grabbing at her outstretched hand before she grabbed Kitana's other hand as it came through the bars as well. It felt surreal as her fingers climbed from Kitana's hands to her forearms, to her biceps, pulling the both of them in with only the cell door between them.

And she would give anything to have the door gone now.

"Thank the Gods you're alright," Kitana whispered.

The smile that adorned the woman's face was the greatest thing Sonya had seen as of late.

And it was perfectly framed as Sonya moved her hands to cup the woman's face in them.

"What happened?"

"We were waiting for Sindel and Sheeva to arrive- and we got Sindel and Shao Kahn instead," Sonya answered.

And while she found herself speaking, and heard herself answering the woman's question, she was more focused on Kitana than what she was saying. She was more focused on stroking her thumbs across the woman's cheeks, and taking in the comfort that Kitana was in front of her, that she was in her grasp again.

That she was safe.

"Our entire squadron was killed and the three of us were dragged here," she finished, making a short answer out of a long story. "What happened out there? Where did everyone go?"

Her question was answered by the solemn, if not exasperated look on Kitana's face.

"Sindel betrayed us," Kitana started. "She was working alongside Shang Tsung and Shao Kahn this entire time. Her whole reasoning for being resurrected was so that Shang Tsung could have Shao Kahn on his side, and then use their combined power to beat us, as well as gain an upperhand on obtaining Kronika's crown. They must've stolen your ship after they wiped out your forces, and used it to hunt us down."

Which was exactly what Sonya was afraid would happen.

She couldn't imagine how the woman must've felt expecting back-up, only to realize that she had been betrayed by her own mother.

"They killed many of our allies, as well as attempted to turn our new army against us," the woman continued. "We were barely able to hold them off, and even then, the battle was lost. Worst came to worst, and with our own lives on the line, we ended up sinking our own ship to slow them down."

_Christ._

"It was a bloodbath, but it's over- and we made it to the shore before they did," Kitana spoke. "Raiden and Fujin took care of Sindel and Shao Kahn. I don't know what happened to Shang Tsung, but he's gone as well. As is Kronika and whoever stood with her. We're just trying to gather everyone up and regroup while the Gods try and figure this mess out."

So there was no telling where things were going to go from here then.

Or what was to become of this timeline.

"How'd you know where to find us?" Sonya asked.

"Shao Kahn bragged about having new kombatants for his Koliseum. I figured there was only one person here who could impress him that much."

Despite the situation, despite how she had previously viewed it, Sonya found herself laughing at the perceived compliment.

Maybe it was just out of relief, out of the escape of what reality might've laid ahead of her.

"I could kiss you right now," she quipped.

And Sonya watched as Kitana's face lit up once more, before the woman pulled out of her grasp.

Before she turned and gestured to the Tarkatan next to her. "Get this door open," Kitana ordered, gesturing to the cell door.

And without hesitation, the Tarkatan slammed his blade into the lock of the cell door and smashed partway through the metal. He twisted his arm, igniting a grinding noise, before he pulled his arm back- tearing the door open as he did so.

Despite the ear-piercing shriek of the metal, it was one of the greatest sounds Sonya had heard as of late.

There was a second of struggle before the Tarkatan worked his blade free and stepped aside, once more allowing for Kitana to step around him as the woman squeezed through the open door and stepped inside.

And while Sonya would've preferred for them to be outside of the cell, she wasn't going to complain.

She caught Kitana as the woman threw her arms around her, squeezing her tight and burying her head into the curve of her neck. She could feel the near desperation in the firm grip- and knew that her own reflected the exact same feeling of relief. If her body wasn't in such shit condition, Sonya knew she would probably be swinging the Outworld Princess around.

But maybe there would be time for that later.

She felt Kitana pull away before the woman moved to cup her face, before Kitana leaned in and brought her lips to her own.

Quick and firm to seal the kiss.

And Sonya didn't think she'd ever feel the warmth of Kitana's lips against her own again.

She pulled the woman in against her, feeling the comfort of her body, and letting her fingers curl themselves against Kitana's back; she tried to be mindful of the frayed cuts in the woman's uniform, but Kitana didn't seem to care where Sonya put her hands. If the Outworld Kahn was anything like her though, she cared more about the touch, the desperate grasp than she did for any of the lingering pain.

"I can already feel my existence fading."

Sonya pulled away at the remark and looked over to where Cassie was standing- clearly trying to ignore what was going on.

"Oh- oh, we should get the rest of you out of here," Kitana started, seemingly just now taking note of the other two. She turned and gestured to the Tarkatan behind them once more. "Get those two cells as well- and look for any other potential survivors down here."

The Tarkatan gave a snort in response before he moved to Cassie's cell now.

Sonya felt the squeeze of Kitana's hand against her own.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Kitana spoke. "And maybe when this is all over with, you can thank me properly."

"Demanding thanks already?" Sonya mused. "You really are fitting for a Kahn."


End file.
